Google employees demand the end of forced arbitration across the tech industry

On the heels of an employee-led protest against Google, a group of 35 Google employeesisbanding together to take it a step further and end the practice of forced arbitration across the entire tech industry.

Forced arbitration ensures workplace disputes are settled behind closed doors and without any right to an appeal. These types of agreements effectively prevent employees from suing companies. Following the walkout last month,Google got rid of forced arbitration for sexual harassment and sexual assault claims, offering more transparency around those investigations and more.Airbnb, eBayandFacebook quickly followed suit.

However, optional arbitration atGoogleis only granted for full-time employees, which does not include thethousands of contract workers at the company. Now, a group of Google employees is demanding an end to forced arbitration, as it relates to any case of discrimination, across the entire industry.

As the employees note on Medium, arbitration is still forced for discrimination cases pertaining to race, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, age and ability. Additionally, employee contracts in the U.S. still have an arbitration waiver, the employees wrote.

“We have not heard of any plan to render these waivers null and void,” employees wrote on Medium. “Google operates in 52 countries where arbitration laws vary, and leadership has not addressed these variances. What should we expect?”